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Friday, January 7, 2011

Fabulous French Fries: Eamonn's

Eamonn's: A Dublin Chipper's Chips

﻿﻿﻿B and I are headed to New York this weekend for three days of friends, food, and of course, french fries from our favorite fabulous, no frills (if you don't count the countless dipping sauces) Pomme Frites in the East Village. But what to do if your weekend plans don't call for such a jaunt? I recently discovered that Eamonn's in Old Town Alexandria is the answer for hearty, fried-to-order chips with a variety of homemade dipping sauces.

This counter service, dark paneled galley space and homage to all things fried (and I do mean all: dough balls, snickers bars, but to name a few menu choices) is the brainchild of Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve. The restaurant's brass accents, mirrored walls, and huge community tables are charming, but space is at a premium, so do not expect to linger without getting dirty looks from diners angling for a place to break into their brown paper bag of fried treats.

While Eamonn's is known for its Dublin-style fried fish, the hand cut fries are alone worth the trip, which is precisely the only thing we dined on during our most recent venture. These hearty fries have a crunchy exterior which yields to an ample potato core. The mayo-based dipping sauces are all homemade: tartar, Marie Rose, chesapeake, hot chili, Kitty O'Shea, and Fronch. There is also the option of one non-mayo based sauce, curry, which is served hot. Bottles of ketchup and malt vinegar are on the tables.

The only downside we experienced was the wait time for fries alone -- nearly 25 minutes seemed enough time for Ray's to serve you a steak! Annoying since we did not count on that long of a lag between placing our order and sinking our teeth into the fried goodness. But it is worth the wait which on previous visits had been closer to ten minutes.

And no, these fries will not help with any New Year's resolutions to eat healthy or get fit. But look at it this way, with all those resolutions out there, perhaps the line will be shorter! And this is an inexpensive diet-busting splurge at under $5. So though it may not be gentle on your waistline, it is on your wallet!